Skip to Content | Text-only
Herman J. Russell, Sr. International Center for Entrepreneurship
2012 Business Plan Competition Winners - Second Story Gardens

Business Plan Competition

In Fall Semester of each year the Herman J. Russell, Jr. International Center for Entrepreneurship holds a business plan competition open to all students of Georgia State University. Competitors in the Business Plan Competition enjoy many benefits including:

  • A review of their business plan by top-notch judges
  • The chance to network with other entrepreneurs, service providers, and investors
  • The opportunity to present their business plan before a distinguished audience
  • But most importantly, the winning entrepreneur or team receives a prize package including endowed cash awards totaling $10,000.

2012 Winner

  • Second Story Gardens

2012 Finalists

  • Ad-On, LLC (Second Place)
  • Niche Trainings, LLC
  • One Way Brewhouse
  • WynStar Residential

In addition, 12 business plans were declared runners-up by the judging panel:

  • Abby of the Holy Goats Brewery
  • ATLGreen Thumb
  • C3D LLC
  • Carttoo
  • Fly Baby
  • Hope Molecular Diagnostics
  • Keyz 2 tha Lexis
  • Mookz Fulemon
  • Oppidan Finds Incorporated
  • PedStop
  • PTFit.co
  • Rentivio
  • Thumb Card

Winners were announced at the annual competition on November 9, 2012 at the GSU Buckhead Center. The competition this year was unusually tough with 79 individuals or teams submitting applications and 41 submitting complete plans. This was an outstanding set of plans, and we are extremely proud and pleased with the work of all those that submitted.

Prize Package:


The Herman J. Russell, Sr. International Venture Award - $5,000

Mr. Herman J. Russell, Sr. is the founder and chairman of H. J. Russell & Company, one of the largest African American companies in the United States. Mr. Russell's generous endowment established Georgia State University's H. J. Russell, Sr. International Center for Entrepreneurship, and its International Venture Award is named in his honor.

The Moses Lee Reid Entrepreneurship Award - $5,000

Mr. Kenneth Reid, a distinguished alumnus of the J. Mack Robinson College of Business and a partner with Rosenberg Institutional Equity Management, established an endowment in honor of his father, Mr. Moses Lee Reid. The endowment supports an award of $5,000 for a business concept and plan that shows potential for a growing business.



The competition and awards recognize a business concept and plan that show potential for a viable, growing business or non-profit organization designed by students at Georgia State University.